Govs Harbor Texas Fugitives To Help Democrats Control Congress

The exodus of more than 50 Democrat members of the Texas House to block a quorum in Austin is bad enough. Even worse is how the Democrat Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, has essentially promised them safe harbor, appearing with them at a press conference on Sunday while declaring, “we’re going to do everything we can to protect” them.

Control of the U.S. House for the second half of the Trump administration hangs in the balance, as the redistricting map to be voted on in Austin would give Republicans a good chance of winning five of the 13 Texas congressional seats they don’t currently hold. Illinois already gerrymandered its House maps to help Democrats win 14 out of its 17 seats, so it is hypocritical for them to claim unfairness in Texas.

Perhaps Illinois was chosen because its Democrat governor is reportedly helping the Texas Democrats “find lodging and meeting spaces.” During a recent press conference, Pritzker denied that he was writing them checks but said he was not against doing it.

Trump observed on Tuesday morning that “I got the highest vote in the history of Texas. And we are entitled to five more seats” in Congress from Texas. Ironically, Texas has an enormous congressional delegation of 38 seats. This is no doubt thanks in part to Democrats’ insistence on including illegal aliens in the census, used to allocate seats among the states. Multiple Democrat congressmen from Texas could lose their seats next year under the new redistricting plan.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Sunday statement that the Democrat lawmakers’ “absences were premeditated for an illegitimate purpose.” He cited the state constitution, saying, “When the Governor calls a Special Session, our Constitution provides that the ‘Legislature shall meet.’”

He continued, stating, “Any Democrat who ‘solicits, accepts or agrees to accept’ … funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws.” Abbott added that any person who “offers, confers, or agrees to confer” money to “fleeing Democrat House members” could also be charged with a crime.

In 2021, Democrat House members likewise fled Austin to frustrate a quorum and block passage of new voting integrity measures, including voter ID. That blockade lasted through the first and into the second special session. When three Houston Democrats returned, a quorum was established, and the bill passed. A court struck down portions of the bill, but on Monday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that its mail ballot ID number requirement easily complies with federal law.

In the Texas House, a quorum requires the presence of two-thirds, or 100, of the 150 representatives. The legislative session on Monday fell 10 votes short of a quorum, according to the Texas Tribune.

Civil arrest warrants were then ordered under Texas law because of the dereliction of duty by Democrats, but these warrants are only enforceable in Texas. The state governors could approve an extradition request, but the Democrat lawmakers all fled to states with Democrat governors.

Democrat Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer said, “We recognized when we got on the plane that we’re in this for the long haul,” according to the Associated Press. Fellow Texas House Democrat Caucus Chair Gene Wu observed that he and his colleagues “will do whatever it takes.” Notably, Abbott filed an emergency petition with the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday to remove Wu from office. According to the Texas Tribune, the justices gave Wu until the end of the day on Friday to respond, and this “test case … could eventually allow [Abott] to remove every member who left the state.” Wu called the move “meaningless” in an interview with NPR.

If Abbott’s threat of potentially prosecuting those who aid fugitive Democrats is ignored, then they could have the financial resources to stay away for many months, whereupon it would be too late to redistrict. Texas has an early primary scheduled for March 3, 2026. The House will attempt quorum again Friday afternoon.

Defiance of Democrat-controlled states against Republican ones is growing. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has separately opposed a request by Texas to enforce a judgment against an abortion provider in New York, who was sued for prescribing the abortion drug to someone in Texas.

Gov. Hochul welcomed the Texas legislators who fled to New York and even held a press conference with them. She blamed this on the same person that New York Democrats repeatedly try to scapegoat: Donald Trump.

There are 30-day limits on special legislative sessions in Texas, such that the current one must end by Aug. 19. Abbott can call as many new special sessions as it takes.

U.S. Marshals, the federal equivalent of sheriffs, typically handle federal warrants but also help in capturing and returning fugitives. (In the acclaimed movie The Fugitive, 1993, Tommy Lee Jones won an Oscar for portraying a U.S. Marshal chasing after a state-crime fugitive, played by Harrison Ford.)

Abbott could request U.S. Marshals’ assistance to return the renegade Texas Democrats who skipped town. Abbott has not yet publicly made this request, perhaps because of Texas’ pride in its independence, but Attorney General Pam Bondi could lead by stating her willingness to help.

As of Thursday, multiple outlets reported while citing GOP Sen. Tom Cornyn, R-Texas, that the FBI agreed to his request “to help track down” the Democrat lawmakers. According to ABC News, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows also “sent a memo to all members and their staff” on Thursday notifying them that absent lawmakers’ direct deposits were suspended and they must pick up their paychecks in person.

John and Andy Schlafly are sons of Phyllis Schlafly (1924-2016) and lead the continuing Phyllis Schlafly Eagles organizations with writing and policy work.